Scott Robertson’s strong affinity with South America should help the All Blacks grasp the cauldron they will confront as they seek to rectify last year’s Rugby Championship campaign by reclaiming the title.
Footage of Robertson scoring the match-winning try – after a decisive Ben Blair break – as John Mitchell’s All Blacks escaped with a 24-20 victory in Buenos Aires in 2001 has been frequently replayed this week and, indeed, every time the team ventures to Argentina.
Few, though, realise Robertson’s ties to Argentina stretch well back to 1995 when he featured in a star-studded New Zealand Colts team that won the inaugural southern hemisphere World Cup.
“It was amazing,” Robertson recalls in a chat with the Herald after naming his side to open the Rugby Championship in Cordoba on Sunday morning (NZT).
“We beat Argentina right at the end. Sharky Robinson ran 90 metres to win it. We had Carlos [Spencer], Christian Cullen, Taine Randell, Jeremy Stanley.
“At that stage, you didn’t realise. Our front row was Carl Hoeft, Kees Meeuws, Anton Oliver. There’s some great memories. You drive around here now and it all comes back.”
In 2012, as part of a connection through the Crusaders, Robertson spent four weeks helping coach Brazil against Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina to further strengthen his knowledge of South American culture.
“There were big swings in those games. It was truly amateur.”
Those collective experiences allow Robertson to understand the emotive, hostile environment the Pumas will embrace as they chase their first home win over the All Blacks.
Eight players in this week’s All Blacks squad are yet to experience the Pumas at home in full flight.
“Coming over here you realise how passionate they are and how much they love the All Blacks. It’s special,” Robertson said.
“We’ve all done a great job of acknowledging the passion is a big part of it. The theatre on and off the field. It’s an event for them. You’ve got to be aware of it and play your part.”
Last year, the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship campaign was derailed from the outset when the Pumas stunned Robertson’s men in Wellington.
While the All Blacks responded the following week at Eden Park, they lost three of their first four matches in the tournament after squandering two leads against the Springboks in South Africa.
The Rugby Championship’s significance will diminish as the tournament takes a hiatus next year, and in 2030, when the All Blacks and Springboks host reciprocal six-week tours.
From a historical perspective, though, the All Blacks have a legacy to uphold, having never lost the pinnacle southern hemisphere title two years in a row, and laying claim to 20 of the 29 crowns including the Tri Nations.
With two home tests against the world champion Springboks to follow this Argentinian tour, seizing momentum is imperative if the All Blacks are to reclaim the mantle.
“There’s fine margins, there’s bounces of the ball. You have to be highly disciplined and take opportunities,” Robertson said as he reflected on last year’s tournament where the All Blacks finished with a 50% record.
“This is the most interesting Rugby Championship for a long time because of the quality of the teams. People are genuinely going ‘what’s going to happen?’
“You definitely have a plan. The way it rolls with two games and a bye … we’ve got a big couple of tests against South Africa which is an understatement.
“How do you keep combinations and cohesion but also build depth? Every test is valuable for us, not just to get a result but to create opportunities for players. That’s an art.
“We made wholesale changes for the last French test because the series was done but this is different.”
Robertson is juggling multiple moving parts to his squad with powerhouse prop Tamaiti Williams and dynamic loose forward Wallace Sititi expected to return for the second test in Buenos Aires next weekend.
Cam Roigard, Tyrel Lomax, Noah Hotham, Caleb Clarke and Luke Jacobson are longer-term injury absences but the All Blacks are clearly building a series of options, none more so than in their seriously stacked propping ranks.
Despite missing starting props Williams and Lomax, the All Blacks are expected to target, and will likely dominate, the Pumas’ scrum; particularly inexperienced tighthead Pedro Delgado who has one test start.
Countering Pumas loose forwards Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer is high on the agenda, too, after they caused major problems in Wellington. But for all the talk of playing fast, the All Blacks are increasingly weaponising their scrum platform.
“The focus on getting four deep in each position means it gives someone else a chance. We’ve had 16 debutants. A lot of them have been great and we’re looking for another chance to give them a go,” Robertson said.
“Whatever trophy is in front of us, my job is to get that and the balance along the way. How do you help grow an Ollie Norris behind Ethan de Groot?
“We’ve got Tamaiti coming back, George Bower and Ofa Tuʻungafasi there so you’re in a position where all of them can take the field and do the job when they’re fit. You have to do that but your focus is on the test at hand.”
Building depth is a necessary long-term objective but results and performances, define success.
From the outside, the All Blacks were unconvincing in two of their three wins against the vastly understrength French in July. Robertson, though, remains confident their identity is clear and definitive progress is within reach.
“Your job as a coach is to get them to build that connection so the team can play and take it. The trust and belief goes with it.
“We played some really good footy against France. We’ve had tries held up and disallowed but we’ve got to score those now. We were a camera angle away from getting that momentum so there’s another opportunity on Saturday.”
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.